Redemption By Flames
by Firewolf1988
Summary: Saved from the oven, Mrs. Lovett comes to grips with her lies and Sweeney Todd ponders on life after revenge.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first Sweeney Todd story! The romantic in me really wished the story had ended better, so here's my take, hopefully it's not entirely terrible. None of the characters will speak with the English accent; I couldn't do the accent justice.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sweeney Todd or anything related to the movie or play.

They waltzed; Sweeney Todd watched their dance come closer and closer to the bake house oven. He tried to hold back a grin, the lying filth in front of him had no idea this would be her last dance.

"REALLY LIVING IT!" He yelled, tossing Mrs. Lovett into the flames of the oven. She screamed in pain and betrayal as her back collided with the rack covered with hellish flames. Time had stopped for Mr. Todd as she screamed, the smell of burning flesh and the crackle of the flames still assaulted his senses but nothing moved, the scream had cut off with a strange selective silence. A feeling coursed through his body, strange and yet all too familiar. He listened to it, reaching through the flames to grab the arm of the flailing woman when time suddenly returned to normal. He patted franticly at the fire that had remained on her body, without warning a wave of water splashed over the two of them. Mr. Todd glanced up to see Toby standing behind him holding a bucket used for gathering meat. Toby threw a second bucket of water on Mrs. Lovett, extinguishing the last of the flames.

"Mrs. Lovett…" Was she still alive? He thought. He checked her pulse quickly; it was a bit quick but there. She shed away from his touch, curling into a ball. She hissed in pain and then rolled lightly to her side, the light of the fire highlighting a large burn in the shape of the oven rack. Mr. Todd gently grabbed her wrists, pulling her to her feet.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry, I did it because I love you… I should have told you…I'm so sorry." She muttered in a pleading tone, the sobs she was trying to hold back leaking through every so often. Mr. Todd was at a loss, he needed her to move, get her to the pie shop before calling for the doctor, he couldn't let the doctor see the bodies…yes that's this urge, hide his crimes. He needed to make her trust him, maybe call her Eleanor? No, didn't she go by a nickname? Something Benjamin Barker called her…Nellie that was it.

"Nellie, I'm not going to hurt you, your burns need medical attention." He turned slowly so that his back was facing the oven, "see, I'm not going to throw you back in." He steered her towards the staircase, walking up the stairs slowly until they made it to the door of the pie shop. "Get the door, boy" He said to Toby. Toby hurried to the entrance holding the door open as Mr. Todd walked Mrs. Lovett over to the couch, forcing her back as lightly as he could until she was laying on her side on the sofa. "Keep an eye on her Toby, I'm going to go get a doctor." As he moved towards the door he was stopped by Mrs. Lovett's hand gripping his wrist. He glanced back at her, catching the plea in her eyes. "on second thought, you go Toby, tell him to hurry." Toby hesitated for a moment before turning to leave.

"Toby" he turned at his name.

"Yes Mum?" He asked Mrs. Lovett.

"It was an accident." She told him in a matter of fact tone. "But Mum—" She cut him off "An accident, Toby, an unfortunate accident" She stressed to him. Toby sighed before hurrying out into the cold London night.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N here is chapter 2, I think this is the longest chapter I've written in a long time! Thanks to the people that have reviewed and added this to their story alert list. I hope you all continue to like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sweeney Todd or anything associated with the movie or play.

Toby was running, why did that blasted doctor have to be out doing his house calls this late? This was the last house that the nurse lady said he was going to be at. "I'm gonna force that woman to give me his address if he's not at this one." He was afraid of leaving mum alone with Mr. Todd, he's never without his razors, Toby ran faster. He almost cried out with joy when he saw a man step out of a home, carrying a black pack and dressed in a long white lab coat. "Doctor Winhearst!" Toby stopped quickly, trying to avoid hitting him.

"Yes, boy?" Doctor Winhearst asked, before Toby grabbed his hand and started to pull him back towards the shop.

"You have to come with me to Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Shop, there was an accident, Mrs. Lovett's back was burned real bad." Doctor Winhearst hurried to keep pace with the boy who was dragging through the streets of London until they reached the shop on Fleet Street. They burst through the door of the pie shop, Doctor Winhearst needing a moment to catch his breath before rushing to the couch.

"I hear you've got a nasty burn on your back from an accident Ma'am?" Doctor Winhearst asked, looking through his black pack, pulling some gauze and a container of ointment.

"Yes" Mrs. Lovett mumbled, wincing lightly as she sat up from her laying position on the couch.

"Lean forward if you can Ma'am, I need to see your whole back." Doctor Winhearst said. Mrs. Lovett leaned forward as much as she could before she was stopped by Mr. Todd's arm.

"That should be far enough, right Doctor?" Mr. Todd asked his voice cold. Doctor Winhearst nodded, shaking his head lightly the ragged look of the back of her dress. He rummaged around in his bag, pulling out a pair of scissors. "This might sting a little bit," he warned her "I need to cut away the fabric around the burn as close as I can." Mrs. Lovett tried not to notice the cold of the scissors as the doctor cut away at the fabric, biting back a cry of pain when the scissors got to close. Finally, he was finished. Doctor Winhearst picked up the container of ointment and opened the lid, using a cloth to apply the cream. "This is a soothing ointment that can help the burns heal faster and will make it hurt less, you can buy it at the Apocathary, don't even need a prescription." He finished applying the cream and picked up the gauze. He hesitated lightly, "I need you to remove the top part of your dress as well as you corset Ma'am, if I'm going to wrap this burn properly" Doctor Winhearst said, ignoring the glare from Mr. Todd. Mrs. Lovett gingerly slid out of the top part of her dress and her corset. Doctor Winhearst wrapped the gauze around her torso and chest. "Must have been some bad accident for you to get that horrid of a burn." The Doctor said, trying to sound indifferent, but Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett knew other wise. Mr. Todd's hand drifted slyly to his holster. His razor was missing; he must have left it on the bake house floor. Mrs. Lovett let out a slight chuckle.

"Aye, it was. Toby was running around downstairs trying to help me get some pies ready for tomorrow before it was time to turn in for the night. He knocked into me while I was pulling some out of the oven, knocked me backwards he did." She said, quickly coming up with a believable story. "If Mr. T hadn't been coming down the stairs, it would have been worse; I don't think Toby would have been strong enough to pull me back out."

Doctor Winhearst nodded, "yes" he said, "you were very lucky." The Doctor left the last of the ointment and gauze on the table before putting away his tools and standing up. "You need to reapply the ointment and gauze twice a day. Good night Ma'am, Sir" with that Doctor Winhearst walked back out the door.

The Next Day

Mrs. Lovett tried to keep her ears out for Mr. Todd, he was very…insistent that she not work and rest today. But, she had cleaning to do and pies to bring up. It wouldn't do for her to just lie in bed today. She could help but be annoyed by their conversation earlier; did he think she was some kind of doll?

_They were silent as Mr. Todd wrapped the gauze over her burnt back. Mr. Todd reminded himself to tell Toby to go to the_ _Apocathary__ later to get the ointment and more gauze, the amount the doctor left was pitiful._

_"You are to __rest__ today, Mrs. Lovett, have Toby deal with the customers, there is enough of the meat ground up that he can make the pies today during the slow period." Mr. Todd commanded. Mrs. Lovett shook her head._

_"There is no need for that, I'm not a cripple. I can handle the customers and Toby can _help _me do the pies. '__Tis__ not like I've never been burned before." Suddenly Mr. Todd was glaring at her right in front of her. _

_"You will rest" he commanded. "I can be watchin' you all day. I have m__y customers" Mrs. Lovett let out an aggravated sigh__ before remaining silent and letting in him finish wrapping the gauze. _

Mrs. Lovett couldn't help blushing at the fact he did seem to care, at least a little bit. She couldn't help her imagination dreaming up all of the possibilities now that she had survived last night and Judge Turpin was dead. She was so caught in her daydreams that she didn't know Mr. Todd had come down until he had snatched her broom right from her hands. She glanced up at his eyes sheepishly.

"I told you to rest, this is not rest" Mr. Todd growled. He grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her towards her room. "Rest" he growled, pointing towards the door.

"I don't need to rest; I've got work to be done." Mrs. Lovett responded. She was cut of when Mr. Todd tore open the door and forced her inside her room. The stress and emotion of the last few days were to much combined with her annoyance. She pulled her arm from his grip. "Honestly, Mr. T, I don't need rest! Do you think this is the first time I've been burned by that blasted oven! I've worked in spite of that back then and I can work in spite of it now." Mrs. Lovett yelled, exasperated. She made her way back towards the entrance. Mr. Todd snarled and grabbed her arm a second time.

"Will you shut up and do as you are told, you insufferable woman!" he yelled pushing her back in to the wall. Mrs. Lovett couldn't hold back the cry of pain as her back collided harshly with the wall. Mr. Todd dropped her arm as if he was burned, stepping away from her. He shook his head, muttering something unintelligible, and walked from the room.


End file.
